In two quick years, the long-haired Quinn Ewers has become the cool, razor-sharp Texas Longhorns leader

To this day, it’s still somewhat funny how Texas coach Steve Sarkisian named Quinn Ewers the starting quarterback for the Longhorns.

It was August 19, 2022, a typical hot, boring day in the dog days of training camp. Texas officials brought three players to the post-practice media scrum for routine interviews. When it was breaking up, longtime UT sports information director John Bianco got everyone’s attention.

“I got a message from Coach Sark,” Bianco hollered. “Quinn Ewers is the starting quarterback.” Wait, what? Come again? But there it was. Like, no big deal.

Sarkisian would later tell reporters, in person, “We’re going to have some growing pains.” Center Jake Majors expressed his wishes in point-blank fashion. “We want a quarterback who’s going to lead us.”

In two years, Ewers has gone from the long-haired, bearded, oddly quiet transfer from Ohio State to the clean-cut, close-shaven, cool, charismatic superstar at Texas. He’s become everything a lot of kids who grew bleeding orange in Texas want to be — the face and unquestioned leader of the Longhorns.

Those two years sure have been a blur. Ewers has thrown for 5,656 yards and 37 touchdowns at UT while breathing life into a downtrodden UT fan base and elevating a new coaching staff. The benefits include a Big 12 championship, raking in thousands in NIL money and becoming a strong 2024 Heisman Trophy candidate.

All of this while a huge majority of college football fans outside Austin want him to trip so backup Arch Manning can get into the fray, mostly on surname alone.

“He's grown so much from when I first got here to now,” left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. said. “He’s grown from the football field standpoint, and he’s grown a ton from off the field as well.”

Ewers’ belief in God fuels his daily life

If the locker room is a sanctuary, Ewers is the friendly pastor. The Southlake, Texas, product has a strong belief in God, but he’s not pushy about it. The visible tattoo on his right forearm is a Bible verse in large, cursive print — “Luke 17:21.” The verse is believed to be a reference to Jesus telling his disciples, “For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

“Whenever God made us, he put the abilities that rose Jesus Christ from the from dead in us,” Ewers told reporters at the Sugar Bowl in December. “He’s in us. He's not just the God of the future. He’s a God of the present. He's in the midst of all of us. It related to me, and I think it’s a powerful, powerful verse.”

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Ewers also has a tattoo of a cross on his chest with the Bible verse Joshua 1:9. His mother encouraged him to get that tattoo during a time when Ewers had trouble sleeping.

His easy-going demeanor is a hit with teammates. And it’s easy to fall in line with someone who can also perform on the field. Few players live up to their five-star, can’t-miss recruiting hype. But Ewers sure has.

“I know everybody in the locker room,” Ewers said earlier this month. “I guess I’m kind of considered an older guy now. Feels like I was just the new guy, you know, 18-19 years old.”

Ewers said he was talking to a teammate sitting across from his locker. “I was asking him how old he was, and he said 18. Me saying 21 back just doesn't feel right.”

The quarterback and coach have grown together

Ewers has no problem talking to the 50-year-old Sarkisian, either.

During training camp, the team was scheduled to meet mid-afternoon. Ewers texted Sarkisian with a message asking permission for a players’ only meeting at 2:35 p.m. What did they discuss? “Since it was a players’ only meeting,” defensive back Malik Muhammad said, “I can’t really speak on it.”

In years past, Sarkisian said, maybe a different player would do that. For Ewers to do it really meant something.

“I know that his rapport with his teammates is tremendous right now,” Sarkisian said. “I know they look up to him with very high regard. They know the way he works and goes about his business. But yes, he’s definitely more vocal.

“He’s just much more engaged,” the coach added. “But on the flip side, for me as the head coach, the fact that he’s calling that meeting, that’s different. That hasn’t happened the past couple years.”

On the field, their conversations are different now, too. Such is the benefit of time. Sarkisian said in year one, he talked about certain adjustments on certain plays, “and he was looking at me like, what play is that again?” Now, Sarkisian can point out adjustments, and Ewers is a computer. “Oh, yeah, I got that,” the quarterback will tell the coach.

Ewers said his biggest focus this training camp has been stepping up in the pocket before triggering the release. Sarkisian’s offense is built around pro-style concepts. It takes a pocket quarterback to deliver. This season, Texas has at least a half-dozen receivers that can play at any given time, so there’s plenty of chances to throw it around.

“I mean, it just gives me more time, and, you know, less chance of a sack fumble and me trying to run away from all these other guys coming at me,” Ewers said.

The NFL is going to come at him fast and furious next spring. Ewers will be ready. It’s widely expected this will be his final season in Austin. Manning’s time will likely come in 2025, although Sarkisian has stressed it’s important to get the backup some chances this year just in case.

Arch’s day will come. But this is Quinn Ewers’ program.

“He’s done a pretty good job leading this team,” Banks said.